


you are my arch nemesis, i’ve decided

by panaesheim



Series: SKAM Weeks—April 13-19, 2020 [1]
Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Based on Friends, Business Rivals, Enemies to Lovers, Eva and Noora are lesbianing together, Even is a bit stubborn, Father!Even, Isak seems like an asshole, M/M, Mikael knows what’s up, SKAM Weeks, but he’s actually a softie, even & Sonja
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:27:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23663848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panaesheim/pseuds/panaesheim
Summary: “I’m the owner of the office you’re sitting in.”The guy laughed softly, looking at the surface of the desk before looking back up at Even. “I don’t think so.”The guy stood, walking up to Even. He put his arm out and smiled all too politely. “I’m Isak Valtersen, the guy who has taken over your job.”
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen
Series: SKAM Weeks—April 13-19, 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703905
Comments: 15
Kudos: 76





	you are my arch nemesis, i’ve decided

**Author's Note:**

> hi and welcome to day one of skam weeks. for most of you it’s already day two/three, and technically it is for me too (as i am writing this it is coming close to 4:30am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning), but here’s my somewhat good fic with a terrible ending because i’m tired and want to lay down and watch maxence’s new movie. i’m also like two days late because this site was being frustrating but I figured it out somehow lmao. so enjoy, it’s a bit long, i didn’t get a chance to edit it too well, so please ignore any capitalization or spelling errors.

“Are you sure? Paternity leave usually means you focus on  _the baby_ ,  not more work. I can’t name any new father that wants to work at home when they’re getting paid to stay home, work free.”

Even ignored Sonja, her trailing after him when he walked into the office building. He greeted his coworkers as he walked to the elevator, the confused looks on their faces lingering in his mind. 

Maybe he should just chill for a bit. But Even was a workaholic and didn’t like extended breaks unless for holidays. And yeah, he had newly born Sophie to distract him, but his thoughts will always lead back to the pile of work inevitably waiting on his office desk when he returned. 

So here he was, his ex girlfriend in tow, a sleeping baby in her carrier waiting in an elevator. 

He was nervous to see his boss again. His boss, Noora, knew about how eager he already was to get back to work when he said his goodbyes the day before Sonja went into labor. He didn’t really know why his anxiety was going through the roof as the elevator rose another level, his hands becoming sweaty and his stomach in knots. Noora was kind, although strict and demanding when she was stressed or serious. 

When he reached his level and the doors opened, he took a deep breath. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Sonja asked, noticing his sudden shift in mood. 

“Yeah. Just grabbing a few things. That’s all.” At this point, he was reassuring himself more than Sonja. 

He stepped out, the familiarity of his office space soothing him instantly. His secretary’s desk was empty, probably on her lunch break. She wasn’t really efficient, but she was pretty and did her job decently, so he kept her on board. 

Eva, his coworker, walked in, a smile adorning her face when she noticed Even and Sonja’s presence. “Hello, Even, so nice to see you again!”

They shook hands, and Eva greeted Sonja with a half-hug. She noticed the baby in the carrier and gasped. “Oh my, she’s adorable!”

“Her name is Sophie.” Even smiled as his coworker’s heart seemed to melt at the sight of his child. 

She didn’t focus on her for too long, scared she might wake her up. She turned back to Even instead. “So, why are you back so early? Your leave isn’t over for another two weeks?”

“Yes, well we were coming by to introduce Sophie to everyone, but I was also coming by to pick up some stuff.” He smiled politely. 

“Well, it was nice seeing you. And it was nice meeting you, Sonja,” She gave Sonja another hug. She waved goodbye to Even and walked into the elevator, the doors closing behind her. 

“Wow. You haven’t been that nice to me in years,” Sonja said, raising her eyebrows and setting the carrier on the secretary’s desk. 

“I gave you that,” he pointed to the sleeping child, “that should be enough.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes, a smile appearing on her face. “You want to ask her out?”

“Number one, she’s my coworker, and number two, Noora would probably fire me if she thought I liked her. Everyone in here knows noora has a thing for Eva.” Even put his hand on the doorknob and twisted it open. 

When he opened the door, he didn’t expect to see a young guy sitting at  his desk, in  his chair, sifting through  his papers, sipping coffee in  his mug and looking at  his computer. 

“Um, who the fuck are you?” Even asked, his arms outstretching in question. Sonja hit his arm and mouthed the word ‘language,’ pointing at their sleeping child. 

The guy scrunched his face and tilted his head, looking at Even. “Who the fuck are you?” 

“I’m the owner of the office you’re sitting in.”

The guy laughed softly, looking at the surface of the desk before looking back up at Even. “I don’t think so.”

The guy stood, walking up to Even. he put his arm out and smiled all too politely. “I’m Isak Valtersen, the guy who has taken over your job.”

Even was speechless. Not only at this guy’s bluntness and rudeness, but the fact that his new rival (established as of one minute ago) had “taken over his job.” Also, why the  _ fuck  _ did this guy have to be so cute? Was this some sick joke the universe was playing on him? Have a baby with your ex, come back to work, and some hot twenty-something-year-old has taken your office? Supposedly your job?

“Excuse me?”

Isak’s smile persisted. “You heard me.”

His eyes glanced behind Even, and he noticed the observant Sonja standing in the doorway. “Hello, I’m Isak.”

“Sonja.” They shook hands, Sonja obviously being the more polite one in this “relationship.” Whatever you wanted to call it. 

“And this must be Sophie.” Isak bent down to see the sleeping baby. “I’ve been hearing way too much about this kid. This entire department has been raving about her.”

“Okay, wait, wait, wait,” Even waved his hands in the air, letting out a nervous and confused laugh. “We’re obviously getting off track here. What do you mean by, ‘take my job’?” He used quotation marks with his fingers as he spoke. 

“Well, while you were on your leave, I took over your job.” Isak sat on the edge of his desk.  _ Even’s  _ desk. 

“Not for long, though. I’m back in two weeks and you will be out of here.” Even crossed his arms over his chest. “Out of my office, out of my life. Done deal.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Excuse me?”

“Um, Even,” Sonja interrupted their stare-down, Isak’s gaze amused while Even’s was furious and irritated. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go change the baby.”

Even nodded and she left, waving at Isak. He waved back. “She’s pretty,” Isak said once she left. “How long have you been married?”

“We’re not married.”

“Dating?”

Even shook his head, his gaze returning to Isak, his eyes becoming angry once again after softening for Sonja. “Doesn’t matter. All that matters is that why were you taking over my job?”

“They were thinking about shutting down this entire company altogether. They brought me in to fill in as we went through this crisis. Transferred from another department.”

“What department? The jerk department?” 

Isak smiled mockingly. “Nice one. Mrs. Sætre didn’t mention your quick wit.”

“Well did she mention that I’m rubber and you’re glue?” 

Isak rolled his eyes but couldn’t contain the small laugh he let out. The romantic part of Even blushed at it, but the logical, more reasonable part of him didn’t think his remark was funny enough to be laughed at. 

Before he could say anything else, Noora poked her head into the office. 

“Hi!” Noora said, a smile on her face. It quickly disappeared when she walked in fully, the tension in the room taking affect on her. “Just wanted to drop by and say a thank you to Isak. Our CEO loved your ideas and is excited to see what else you bring to the table.”

“Hi, Noora,” Even greeted, receiving a smile in a return, followed by a confused look on her face. 

“Oh, Even, nice to see you again! I assume you’ve already introduced yourself to Isak, this company’s lifesaver. If it wasn’t for him this company would not still be stable. Isak swooped in and saved everything!” She smiled wider than before, clapping her hands once. 

“Right, well, that’s part of the issue that’s happening right now.” Even cleared his throat. “When I return, where will he be going?”

“That’s actually up to Mrs. Sætre,” Isak said before Noora said anything, “I know she will make the right decision.”

_Kiss-ass_. 

“Actually, Even, when are you coming back?” Noora turned to Even. 

“I... today, actually.”

Isak laughed nervously. “Even, you said earlier that you would not be returning in two weeks.”

“Hmm, no, I actually said  _ to _ day.” He laughed. “Aren’t a very good listener, are you, Isak?”

”Well, that’s great, another wonderful addition to the staff.” Noora smiled. “I have to go now, but I’ll see you two later, yes?”

They both said their goodbyes and she exited the room. 

Sonja came back just as noora left. “Hi.”

“Hi, can I talk to you?” Even asked, pushing her out of the door before she could even respond. Isak looked at them questioningly before he sat back down behind the desk. 

“I need to come back today,” Even said almost frantically. Sonja made a confused expression. 

“What? You have two weeks! You can’t go back today!” 

“You don’t think I know that?” Even glanced behind him, checking on Isak who stared at the computer screen, leaning his face on hand, his elbow propped up on the desk. “I’m afraid Isak is going to steal my job.”

“What?” Sonja said confusingly. “Isak? seriously? you’ve been working here for years, they aren’t going to replace you just like that.” She snapped her fingers. 

“Yes, but you didn’t see how Noora looked at him. Like a fucking hero. The company was apparently about to crash after I left.”

“Did you ever stop to think that the reason it was about to crash was  _ because  _ you left? They were so unstable that when you, an important worker here, left, they were about to shut down completely.” She put her hand on his arm comfortingly. “You’re essential. They aren’t going to get rid of you.”

Even knew she was right. But he still feared for his future. What if in two weeks Noora has completely fallen for Isak’s ass-kissing powers to the point where she has forgotten Even’s existence? It was scary and he was already paranoid. 

“I just... Sonja, I have to do this. Let me do this.”

She contemplated for a few seconds. She looked back up at him and rolled her eyes. “Fine. But you are staying up with Sophie tonight.”

Even smiled. “Deal.”

— — — 

After they made their deal, Even and Sonja went for lunch. He sensed that Sonja still wasn’t completely okay with being left alone two weeks before she was supposed to, but she kept conversation light instead of arguing more about it. 

Their relationship was already complicated, but the baby made it even more so. They broke up years ago, when Even fell for another guy back in high school, but that didn’t turn out well so they got back together. They broke up again, but started dating again when Even had no where to go after college and moved in with Sonja. After they split up for a third time, they got drunk together to celebrate Even’s promotion, and they slept together. Sonja took a pregnancy test the next morning and now here they were, almost ten months later, a beautiful baby girl keeping them close. they decided to stay friends but still live together so that Sophie didn’t have to grow up in two different households. 

Sonja left after lunch to take Sophie to her mom’s. They departed with a hug, and she wished him good luck on his first day back. 

He approached the building like he did just a couple hours ago, except this time dread replaced his anxiety. He didn’t want to see Isak’s pretty little smug ugly face when he walked in to somewhere he was supposed to feel comfort. He didn’t want Isak sitting in his desk chair and taking over his job, all the while kissing Noora’s ass to get ahead. 

He went up the elevator, and soon enough, he was right in front of his door. He peered through the window to see Isak looking at his computer screen, his expression bored and tired. Even took a deep breath and opened the door, alerting the younger boy of his presence. 

“I’m back,” Even said with a hint of anger in his voice, shutting the door behind him. Isak smirked smugly, standing and walking to Even’s side of the desk, leaning against the edge and facing Even. 

“So it seems.” 

Silence settled between them, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Even crossed his arms over his chest like a child, and said, “So catch me up. What’s happening?”

“Well,” Isak said, going over to the other side of the desk to pick up a portfolio, “There’s a big presentation next week for our CEO, however there’s a lot of details and important information to cover, so I’ll handle it.”

“Um, no,” Even said, “I know what you’re doing. Pushing me aside to get closer to Noora, holding your spot in  my  chair. I’m not fucking gullible like she is. I see right through you, Isak.”

Isak wasn’t phased by his words like Even had intended. He still had the stupid smile on his face. Even continued, nonetheless, “So I suggest you take a fucking step back.”

Isak laughed at that, glancing at the floor. “Was that supposed to intimidate me?”

“It would be a plus, yes.”

Isak rolled his eyes and sat, leaning in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. “Well it didn’t. So  _ I  _ suggest you let me do the presentation next week, and I’ll let you handle the easy stuff. Got it?”

“The easy stuff? I’m not a fucking child.” 

“You act like one.” Before Even could retaliate, Isak spoke again, “Listen, just to be real, this project took a lot of effort. I’ve been working on this for weeks and there’s so much to cover, and you would only have one week to do so. There’s no possible way you’d be able to handle it.”

“Try me.”

— — —

So, at Even’s wishes and constant convincing and persistence, Isak let Even take over the head of the meeting. Even was very diligent, too; he worked on it late at night and early in the morning. One night in particular, he said goodnight to Sonja and then seemingly two seconds later he checked his watch and it was six in the morning. 

They still hated each other, the only words spoken between them being vague greetings that they grumbled out every time they entered and exited the office. Even usually had lunch in his office but Isak had claimed that space, having rearranged the entire room after Even left. Even sat with Eva and his assistant Vilde for lunch, accompanied with Vilde’s friend Sana who worked in another department and her husband Yousef sometimes came by. 

One day he passed by his office and Isak was sitting alone, scrolling on his phone and chewing a bite of his sandwich. The nicer, kinder part of him wanted to invite Isak to lunch and sit with him and the girls, but then Isak noticed him and judgingly stared at him, squinting his eyes and saying, “What are you looking at?” so Even left him alone after that. 

The presentation was almost complete, and even though he didn’t want to admit it, Even did struggle a bit. He bit off more than he could chew but somehow managed it, and the day before the meeting was held, he begrudgingly let Isak take a look at the redone portfolio. 

“Wow,” Isak said, flipping through the papers and attachments. 

“Good, isn’t it?” Even said as he watched Isak’s all but astonished face. 

“Yeah. I mean, it’s decent, I guess. Good enough for something you put together in one week.” Isak handed the portfolio back to Even. 

“Great! Well, since you know the material, can you ask me some questions about it so it sounds like I know what I’m talking about?” Even said, sitting back in the chair. 

“Uh, sure.” 

Isak didn’t get a chance to even speak before Sophie started crying, her sobs echoing through the room. Even had gotten permission to bring her in for today, and then Sonja would come around lunch to pick her up so Even could be baby-free in time for his presentation this afternoon. 

He rushed to her carrier sitting on a side table, cooing her and searching through the bag Sonja that dropped off this morning after he forgot it at home. He retrieved a pacifier and stuck it in her mouth, her wails ceasing. He picked her up and cradled her, soothing her under his touch. 

“How old is she?” Even was reminded of Isak’s existence when he said this. 

“She’ll be two months in a couple of days.” He looked down at his child, his smile widening at her drowsy expression. His entire mood softened around her; she was too precious to be mad at. And both he and Sonja knew that wasn’t going to turn out well later on when she used a similar expression to get what she wanted, but for right now, he could never stop staring at her. 

“She’s very cute.” Isak stepped closer to the pair, his shoulder brushing against Even’s. He was hyperaware of Isak’s proximity, but couldn’t do anything about it unless he wanted to stir the child, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Instead, he felt Isak’s body heat radiating onto that side of his body, inhaling his scent. Natural or cologne? Even tried to decipher which it was before Isak noticed his excessive inhaling. 

The door opened and the two guys turned their heads, Noora entering the room quietly. Even put the baby back in her carrier carefully, scared to wake her. She didn’t, thankfully, still sucking on her pacifier. 

“Hello,” she said in an almost-whisper, as quiet as she could be. 

“Oh, hi, Noora, we are all ready for the presentation this afternoon,” Even said, standing up straight to look presentable. 

“Good, because it’s in ten minutes.”

Even gasped silently. Ten minutes? What the hell? He couldn’t do this in ten minutes. Not only were his nerves eating him up, but the fact that Sophie was supposed to be alone in a room for longer than a couple of minutes like she was used to was too much. 

“Why was it moved up, if you don’t mind me asking?” Even said, trying not to let the worry slip through his voice. 

“I honestly don’t know why. His schedule is very busy today, so this is our only free space. I’m so sorry, gentlemen,” Noora gave an empathetic look to them (more Isak than Even, though), “We have to do this now.”

“Well, with all due respect to you and the team, I can’t do this right now. Sonja won’t be here for another hour, it’s not possib-“

“Then Isak can do it.” 

Noora and Even’s eyes turned to the boy in question, who wasn’t really paying attention up until now. He glanced between the two, confused.

“So I’ll see you in ten?” she said, nodding her head to confirm it to herself. She left, Even letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

There was a silence between them, but not the kind that they had a few minutes before. 

Even walked over to the other boy, shoving the portfolio against his chest in anger. “There you go. You win. You get to do the presentation, happy now?”

Isak took the folder hesitantly. “I-“

“I don’t need your words right now, Isak. Just go do your best.” Even sat in the chair, failure resonating in his soul. Did he really work this hard for something he wasn’t even going to get credit for?

“I’ll watch Sophie.”

Even looked up at Isak, shocked. He had the set the folder down on the table, looking at Even with an expression he couldn’t decipher. He didn’t have time to, anyway, since Isak quickly looked away after he noticed Even’s intent staring. “I’m great with kids. Or so I’m told,” Isak said abashedly. 

“Really? Why would you do that for me?” 

“You worked really hard on it. Besides, you made changes that I’m not familiar with, and you’d be the best at it anyways.” Isak gave a weak smile after he spoke. 

Even was overjoyed so much that he grabbed Isak by the shoulders and hugged him, wrapping his arms around his smaller frame. It took a few seconds before Isak returned the hug. “Thank you,” Even whispered into his shoulder. 

He let go and noticed the prominent blush on Isak’s cheeks. He just nodded and looked away, trying to hide the grin on his face. 

Even grabbed the folder and kept saying “thank you” over and over, and backed out of the door. 

When Even left, Isak was still smiling, warmth spreading over his face. 

— — — 

The meeting went great. The CEO was impressed with Even’s ideas and what he brought to the table. Noora was impressed too, giving him a congratulations as he exited the room. 

Isak had bitterly congratulated him, shaking his hand and a smug smile on his face. He left shortly after, saying a remark as he walked out of the room, “You’re lucky I let you have it this time, Even. Next time it won’t be that easy.”

Even had walked in the office the next day when Isak was just sitting down. They greeted each other with quiet hellos and Even went to sit in his desk chair, now that he has finally obtained his seat back, after finally prying Isak out of it. 

“Listen, I want to just... I want to thank you. I guess.”

“Oh? Why?” Isak leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. 

“It’s just that, you didn’t have to watch Sophie yesterday and I never really got a proper chance to thank you for it. You kind of rushed out before I could really tell you how much I appreciated it.” Even let out a soft laugh. “Also, I wanted to apologize. When I first met you, I thought you were just some jerk trying to steal my job. An obnoxious, cocky, smug jerk.”

Isak snorted. “Is this your first apology?”

“No, I’m just trying to convey that I was wrong about you. I mean, you’re still cocky and you’re still smug, but just... less of it.”

The other smiled and laughed. “You’re not good at this.”

Even couldn’t help but smile too. One of his coworkers, Chris, walked in the door. “Hi, I was just coming by to get these signed? For Noora.”

“Ah, yes of course,” Chris walked over to his desk in front of Isak.

Even continued with his apology, “So, yeah, I’m just saying that first impressions aren’t always right. You’re not so bad you-“

He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Isak staring at Chris’ ass. Even raised an eyebrow and finished signing the papers, and once he left, he scoffed. 

“Seriously? You’re such a creep.”

“What? What did I do?” Isak said innocently. 

“You were so checking him out,” Even accused. 

“So what? He was right in front of me, it was hard not to look at him.”

Even shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t mean you have to look at it. Look in another direction, pervert.”

“Why are you so upset about this?” Isak leaned his elbows against the desk, one of his signature smirks starting to appear, “Are you jealous?”

“Pfft, me? Jealous? Never. Especially not over Penetrator-Chris.”

Isak raised an eyebrow. “Penetrator-Chris? Is he known for penetrating?”

“No, that’s what I called him in high school. What they called him in high school. I didn’t participate,” Even waved his hands the air, trying to clear away the conversation, “The reason I’m upset is because I was trying to give you a sincere apology, but you were too busy staring at asses, ignoring me! So of course I’m a bit upset.”

“I was listening until you stopped talking. You stopping made it difficult to listen to you, you know,” Isak said. 

“Fine. Whatever. Just forget the whole thing.” Even sighed and turned on the computer, Isak crossing his arms over his chest and starting to work as well. 

After that, they went back to their normal behavior around each other. They ignored each other unless it was absolutely necessary that they talk to each other, but if there was a silence between them while it was just them two, they wouldn’t even dare to breathe. Once, Even had coughed and Isak had sucked his teeth and shook his head. Even rolled his eyes and mentally gave him the finger, while smiling sweetly on the outside. 

It was a couple weeks after the meeting that their bickering had picked up again. They started trying to one-up each other every chance they got, trying to get under the other’s skin. Noora would scold Even and tell him to be more like Isak when he didn’t finish a task on time. That left Isak smug for the rest of the day, sometimes the rest of the week. 

Even would always try to find something to make Isak mad or annoyed or some kind of emotion he could use to get back at him, but it was no use. Everything Even would try to insult, like his height or his hair or his face in general, was never met with any kind of reaction. Only a fake smile and push past him. And that aggravated Even more than it should’ve. 

— — —

Even was consulting with a plan in his mind ever since Isak didn’t even care to listen to him. 

What was that saying? “Kill them with kindness”? Even was going to try that. 

He had a feeling Isak thrived on Even’s sometimes over-the-top reactions, so Even was going to dial it back. Make Isak starve until his ego was deflated and his head got smaller. 

He opened the door for him and brought him coffee from time to time. He tried his best to get rid of the edge in his voice, and he succeeded, after a few tries. He smiled sweetly and agreed with pretty much everything he said. 

What sucks about this plan, though, is that he didn’t know whether or not it was working. At first, Isak seemed a bit surprised at this sudden attitude change, but somehow this fueled Isak even more. He called Even his secretary, even referred Even to that when someone from another department walked into the office. “I’m Isak Valtersen, and this is my secretary, Even Næsheim.” 

Even tried not to let it get to him, but he swears to god, if he hears Isak call him his secretary one more time, he was going to splash this piping hot cup of coffee in his face and hit him in the skull with the empty mug. 

There was a knock on the door around noon. Even’s long time best friend, Mikael, poked his head in. 

“Hi, Even.” He stepped inside the room. “Ready to go?” 

“Yes, but first I’d like you to meet my wonderful associate, Isak.” Even said, a fake smile adorning his face. 

“Mikael,” He introduced himself, shaking his hand. 

“Isak,” he stood from the chair he was sitting in. “So where you two headed off to? A date?”

“Oh, no,” Mikael laughed, “It’s his birthday lunch.”

“Birthday lunch?” Isak looked back to Even and then to Mikael again. “He never told me anything about a birthday.”

“Seriously? That is not like Even. He usually is the one who reminds everyone weeks before, just so he can get messages and gifts from our distant friends. He’s needy in that way. But you’re welcome to come over to his birthday party tonight-“

“No, no, no, no, no,” Even interrupted. The other two turned to look at him. “I mean that- well, Isak, you must have plans right? It’s a Friday night, you’re young, you must have  something to do tonight, right?”

“Well, yeah, but I can cancel. When do blind dates ever work?” Isak laughed and walked towards the door, but before he left, he said, “Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss my secretary’s birthday.”

“Secretary? Even, you didn’t tell me you got demoted,” Mikael said once Isak left. 

“I didn’t,” Even spoke through clenched teeth. “He’s just an ass.”

“If he’s an ass, then why were you being nice to him?” Mikael squinted his eyes suspiciously. “Who are you and where’s the Even I know?”

“I was faking it. He wants to get under my skin and I’m trying to make it seem like it doesn’t bother me, but now he’s bothering me more than ever! I can’t stand that guy!” 

“Wow.”

Even huffed. “Yeah.”

“I know what will make you feel better.” Mikael said, eyebrows raising. Even looked at him questioningly. “A free lunch AND dessert with your favorite and best friend, Mikael Øverlie Boukhal.”

Even rolled his eyes but smiled. “Don’t flatter yourself too much, your head will be as big as Isak’s in no time.”

Mikael snorted and walked out of the room, Even following suit. 

— — — 

“I still can’t believe you invited Isak to my birthday party. A place where I’m supposed to have fun, not somewhere I’ll be demeaned and laughed at.”

“Gosh, you’re whiny when you’re drunk.”

“I’m not whiny or drunk, so get your facts checked,” Even downed another drink, smiling at Mikael. 

“He probably won’t even show up. He said he had plans, remember? a blind date or something, right?” Mikael poured himself a drink from the minibar. 

“Yeah but he’ll probably come here anyway just to mock me. He’s like that, you know. He’s an asshole.” 

“You need to stop worrying. No one would ever do that, and if they did, they would actually be an asshole. But Isak didn’t give off those vibes. So stop worrying and have fun.” 

“He didn’t give off those vibes because he liked you. Everyone likes you.” Mikael smirked. “Don’t let that get to your head.”

“You know what?” Even hummed in question. “He might like you.”

Even snorted. “Okay, now  _ you’re _ drunk.”

“No, hear me out,” Mikael set his drink down. “Isn’t that a thing where if someone is mean to you constantly that means they’re attracted to you?”

“Yeah. It’s a thing. In grade school.” Mikael rolled his eyes. “You’re telling me you haven’t had a date since grade school? I mean, I’m not surprised, but-“

“Shut up. I have had dates, thank you, but it was just a suggestion. Some people do think bullying equals flirting and Isak might be... one of those people. Just something to think about.”

Even thought about it. There was no way Isak liked him. He was rude, he was mean, he was just the adult version of a bully. 

There was no way Isak liked him. Right?

— — — 

“Hey, you okay?”

Even looked over his shoulder to see Mikael walking up to him, his hands in his coat pockets. 

“Yeah. Just a little bummed because of my birthday. Have to wait another whole year to have one again,” Even laughed. 

Mikael sat on they bench next to Even. “Do you want me to go back up and help you clean? Sorry I left with no explanation.” Even offered. 

“No, you’re fine. I’ll just let Noora and Eva handle it. Had to get out of there. The sexual tension,” Mikael sighed, “You could cut it with a knife.”

Even laughed. He had forgotten he had introduced his boss and coworker to Mikael back when he first started. He pointed out their chemistry that Even seemed to have overlooked, but ever since then, he couldn’t help but notice the way Noora’s entire face lights up when Eva walks into the room and vice versa. 

“There’s one good thing you don’t have to be sad about, though. Well, two actually.”

“Oh yeah? What are they?”

“Number one, you’re sitting next to me after a wonderful party I put together,” Even rolled his eyes but smiled, “and that jerk Isak didn’t show up.”

“Yeah, I hate that guy.”

Even and Mikael comically whipped their heads around to see Isak standing there, an amused expression on his face as he stared at their shocked faces. 

“I have to go clean,” Mikael blurted out. Even stated daggers into Mikael’s back as he walked away. Betrayed by his own best friend on his birthday. What a shame. 

“Last I checked, a party was more than two people attending and just a bench to sit on.”

“Yeah, well, last I checked, you’re not supposed to arrive a half-hour after a party is over and expect there to still be one. How did you even know where to find us, anyway?”

“Mikael sent me a friend request on Facebook and he told me the time and place.” Isak shrugged and sat next to Even on the bench. 

“That little backstabber.” Even leaned back shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you knew the time why were you late?”

“I was getting this.” Isak held out a small bag towards Even. “For you.”

“What? Why?” Even took the bag hesitantly. 

“Wow, you really don’t know much about birthday parties, do you?” he laughed. “You see, there’s usually a cake, presents, one or two more people...”

“Shut up.”

“It’s more of an apology gift than anything, really. I reevaluated our interactions and realized I was a jerk. Like Mikael said.” 

Even opened the card that lay on top. “‘From Isak’.”

“I really mean it.” Isak smiled and Even looked at him, a grin appearing on his face. 

Even pulled out a maroon scarf that was wrapped in tissue paper. “Aww, that’s so nice.”

Isak took the scarf from Even and said, “Do you mind?” Even couldn’t remove his eyes from Isak’s when he shook his head. He wrapped the scarf around Even’s neck, his hands trailing down the ends of the scarf before he pulled away, clearing his throat. 

“See, Isak, you’re capable of being a good guy. Why don’t you show that side more often?” Even smiled, situating the scarf better around his neck. 

“I’m not entirely sure, actually,” Isak said, making a confused face. 

“You know, like, two hours ago, Mikael suggested that it might be because you like me, or have ‘feelings’ for me or whatever,” Even laughed at himself, “He’s a romantic; he suggests this about everyone.”

“He’s right. I do have feelings for you.” 

Even silently gasped. He looked at Isak in shock, who was showing no emotion whatsoever. 

“You... you do?”

“Well, yeah. I thought you knew that.” He shrugged again. “I feel that you’re a little annoying. A bit obnoxious.”

Even rolled his eyes. He let his hatred for this guy fall for 0.5 seconds and now he realized why he didn’t like him. 

“See, Isak? Do you understand why I feel this way about you? Do you see now? Right when I’m about to change my opinion of you, you have to-“

And yeah, Even hated being interrupted. Especially by Isak. But he didn’t mind this time when Isak leaned over and kissed him. 

— — —

Even was nervous, to say the least. 

He was standing in front of his office door, his hands shaky and his palms sweaty. He hadn’t stopped thinking about Isak all weekend; how soft his lips were, how they both smiled into the kiss, how they didn’t separate until they were both freezing. 

After that Isak went home, and the next day, he added Even on Facebook. They talked for awhile, and their conversations were different this time. They made less fun of each other and talked about other things, like music and art and movies and, believe it or not, parallel universes. Even never would’ve though Isak believed in parallel universes, but they talked about it for hours on a call. They talked about different scenarios of how they met in different universes. Isak suggested that they met way back in high school when he remembered Vilde talking about Kosegruppa in high school that she organized. Isak said they met in one of her meetings and they smoked weed and ate gross food (“Remember the disgusting cheese toastie you made that one time in the office? That’s what we made when we hung out for the first time.”) and were already getting close. Even said they had their first kiss underwater, which Isak snorted at. “It doesn’t get more cliche than that,” he said. 

So Even was now super nervous as he prepared himself to see Isak for the first time since their first kiss. When he opened the door, though, no one was in yet. 

He took this opportunity to get comfortable, settle his nerves before Isak walked in. Or anyone, for that matter. He couldn’t think of how he would act in front of Noora, who also had her little make out session as well. According to Mikael, when he walked back in after he abandoned Even, he had accidentally walked in on Noora sitting on Eva’s lap on the couch. Noora jumped up and rushed out of the apartment, Eva shortly following. And Mikael is a gossiper, always has been, so he told Even as soon as he got back from outside with Isak. 

Even had waited ten minutes before Isak walked in. As soon as he saw Even, he blushed and smiled, the complete opposite of how he usually greeted Even; with a smug smirk and a grumbled “Good morning.”

“Hi,” Isak said, setting his stuff down and leaning against the door. 

Even stood and walked over to stand in front of him. They were just a few inches apart, but when Even leaned in for a kiss, Isak moved his head to the side so that Even caught his cheek instead. 

“I want to talk about that, actually,” Isak cleared his throat and scratched his head. “About this,” he gestured between them. 

“There’s a ‘this’?” Even smiled. 

“Yeah, I hope so.” Isak smiled too, his blush growing darker. “Before we do anything, though, I need to know what’s going on between you and Sonja.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about her,” Even assured him. 

“Really? Because I have a friend who is in a similar situation, and they’re always in an on-and-off relationship because they think it can work but it just doesn’t, and I don’t want to get mixed up into that.” He shook his head. “That came off wrong. I’m sorry. I just... I don’t want to be  that guy. The guy who comes in and wrecks families. If you and Sonja have a thing, or are about to have a thing, or if you feel like you can’t do this because of her, then fine.Just forget this ever happened.”

“I don’t want to forget. And you don’t have to worry about her, like I said. We are done. For good. And yeah, if what we have goes somewhere, it will be a bit complicated. But that’s a risk I am willing to take. Are you?”

Even had realized after he spoke that it sounded like he was jumping in too fast. What if Isak just wanted a fling and Even thought it was something more? He was slowly starting to realize what Mikael meant when he called him a hopeless romantic. 

“And you’re not sad?” Isak said quietly, barely looking up from the floor. 

“No, I’m not sad.” Even put his hands on his neck, caressing the side of his face with his thumb. 

“Good.” They stood in silence for a few minutes, Even’s eyes flickering between Isak’s lips and his eyes, Isak doing the same. 

“So now that that’s out of the way,” Isak said after a few moments, “I can do this.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips softly against Even’s. It was more of two smiles pressed against each other than a kiss, but Even was happy that it was happening nonetheless. 

They broke apart, pressing their foreheads together. 

“So, can I ask you out on a proper date?” Isak smiled up at him. 

“Of course. Lunch today or do you already have something in mind?”

“I have something in mind.” Isak grabbed his hands. “How about a movie date? My place on Friday? We can watch all those movies you talked about.”

“You want to watch Romeo + Juliet?” Even laughed and Isak rolled his eyes. “Isak Valtersen wants to watch Romeo + Juliet?”

“Yes, only because you like it and you wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“Fine. I’ll see you on Friday then.” 

Even walked back over to his desk and sighed. “You know, I would never have guessed that I’d be going on a date with my arch nemesis.”

“Arch nemesis?” Isak asked, smiling. “Since when was that established?”

“Since I first met you.”

**Author's Note:**

> the ending sucks, i know, i wanted it to go a little further into their life after they started officially dating (maybe like a one or two month time skip ), but it’s currently four am and i still have to edit this. so if you enjoyed please leave a kudos and constructive criticism is always accepted, although please don’t tell me how bad it is, because a) i already know, you don’t have to remind me and b) i’ll probably be super sad or something idk. i’m not doing day two because i couldn’t think of anything but I will post for day three. have a nice day/night, i’m tired, goodnight :)


End file.
